Perhaps it says something about Henry Pollock that the 20-year-old England starlet manages to be the centre of attention even when isn’t trying to be. George Ford was about halfway through a typically excellent articulation of how his side had subtly shifted strategy to swing the clash with Australia their way when the fly half was interrupted by an almighty crack from across the room. Pollock, waiting patiently to speak to the press but short of a seat, had propped himself up on a bin clearly not designed to take the weight of England’s next big thing – cue an apologetic raise of the hand and curious glance at the makeshift seat beneath him as it creaked under the strain.
For perhaps a more pertinent example of the profile that Pollock already commands, one only has to look at his introduction into the contest. With the game in the balance at 10-7, Australia having stuck in it and grown with confidence, Steve Borthwick turned to his bench trump card. At 51 minutes, five of his six British and Irish Lions were sent on together. It was a group that included a 50th capper in Luke Cowan-Dickie, the ever-popular Ellis Genge and Tom Curry, playing his first minutes of the season. And yet, as the stadium announcer dutifully worked through the list of replacements, it was Pollock who drew the greatest reaction.
All this for a player making his Twickenham debut in his first full campaign as a senior squad member. “Everybody’s excited when Henry Pollock gets on the pitch because of what he brings,” Borthwick suggested. “He’s probably the most excited person! He is a ball of energy. I love having that character in the squad.”
Bright mop of freshly-dyed peroxide blond hair on his head – perhaps peculiarly inspired by footballer Alejandro Garnacho – it really is hard to miss Pollock out on the pitch. Brazen-faced and brash, some of his antics will not sit easily with all, but there is no denying that he is showing the talent to back up his self-belief. His third try in Test rugby, having scored twice off the bench on debut against Wales in the Six Nations, came in his 36th minute wearing an England shirt – a glorious gather off his bootlaces from Tom Roebuck’s tap back that showed both supreme hand-eye coordination and a suppleness of hamstring perhaps the envy of some more senior teammates.
“I got the ball and then I kind of obviously see the try line and think, ‘s***, I’m in here’,” Pollock explained. “Then I got tap-tackled and I was thinking, ‘I hope there’s no one close behind me’. The wet weather kind of helped and I kind of dragged myself over. Credit to Fordy and Roebuck for getting in the air. We talked all week about where you are on that pitch when that kick goes up and lucky enough, I was in the right place.”
Some of the sport’s best make a habit of finding themselves in the right place at the right time; time will tell if Pollock comes to be bracketed in that company, but there have not yet been many snags on a rapid rise through the ranks. Yet he is not alone in that respect in England’s back-row room, which has become an area of serious strength. Within the matchday, 23 were as many as five players who would profess a preference for playing on the openside, and their scavenging skill, explosive carrying and ability to combine effectively in double tackles were key aspects to England’s performance.
“We spoke about it in the week, how competitive the back row is,” Pollock said afterwards. “Steve sat all of us down on the bench and said, ‘look, you’re going to be on the bench, but we want to bring a massive impact’. That last quarter of the game is where teams die off and we were just happy that we can come and make an impact.”
At 22, Guy Pepper is a comparative veteran to Pollock but no less a player who seems destined for great things. It was notable, too, that it was the young Bath flanker who was given the 80 minutes when Borthwick emptied his bench rather than established Test starters Sam Underhill and Ben Earl; the England head coach clearly wants to put time into a player whose height and ability as a lineout jumper are being honed on the blindside.
The selection for Fiji, who come to Twickenham next Saturday, will therefore be fascinating with the All Blacks still to come. Past Pacific Island visitors might have been seen as providing an England head coach an opportunity to rotate heavily but Fiji, as Borthwick made a point of mentioning on Saturday night, were victors on their last trip to Twickenham. Mick Byrne’s side will have the familiar challenge of coming together at short notice, but always have serious jackal threat, offloading skill and the capacity to create tries from anywhere.
While he will want to build cohesion ahead of the New Zealand clash, it may be that Borthwick, who could name his team as soon as Monday, still gambles again in places. Asher Opoku-Fordjour has been covering both sides of the front row in camp and may get another Test opportunity, while the head coach refused to rule out a continuation of the Earl experiment and a start for the Saracen in the centres. “That’s certainly something I’ve considered for this coming week,” Borthwick admitted. “Now I’m waiting to get the medical report and understand where everybody’s at. Then I’ll make a decision on selection.”
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A first England start, regardless, may well beckon for Pollock. “We had an amazing summer and coming back into this environment, it’s different and I’m loving the new challenges,” he smiled. “You want to be competitive, you want to be competing with some of the best in the world and we’re definitely doing that. I’m enjoying my rugby. It’s just fun.”
